Jay Griffin taught a chess class and he decided to form the club. We met at Mother of Sorrows church for several years before moving to the First Presbyterian Church on Laird Road.

Each player is rated on points and most ratings are based on games that last two or three hours. The average chess player is rated between 1400 and 1500; a master player is rated well over 2200. If your rate is going up, you're playing better chess.

We peaked at about 20 members. Nowadays, a lot of people play online. But there's always people dropping in to play each week. And we get a lot of children come in during the summer. Our members instruct them on how to play.

When we'd go to church, my mother would say, 'Ask the priest your questions.' And the priest was quite indulgent, ... Often he'd say, 'We haven't figured that out yet, my boy.' When I heard that, I was free, I was overjoyed -- I could create [my own] answers.

This is a historic moment. We were the mother church to all Catholic churches in the area. This building is drenched in history and tradition.

I was a den mother for the Cub Scouts in the church.